Mail-bag lock



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JAMES 0. BROWN, OF SEDALIA, MISSOURI.

MAIL-BAG LOCK.

EiPECIPIC'ATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 380,986, dated April 10, 1888.

Application filed September 9, 1887. Serial No. 249,258.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES 0. BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sedalia, in the county of Pettis and State of Missouri, have invented new and useful Improvements in Mail-Bag Locks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of mailbag locks in which the lock-case is formed with a hasp to engage a staple on the mail pouch or bag and partly inclose a pair of pivoted locking-arms having curved ends adapted to pass through said staple from opposite sides.

The invention consists in a novel mechanism for actuating the pivoted spring locking-arms of a hasp-lock, and in the construction and combination of parts, hereinafter described and claimed.

In the annexed drawings, illustrating the invention, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved mail-lock. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same with the front plate removed, showing the spring locking-arms engaged with staple and locked by bolt. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the spring armsunlocked. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are detail views.

The lock-case 1 is formed with a back plate, 2, having at one end an aperture, 3, for the passage of a ring, staple, or other fastening, 4., by which the lock can be attached to a mail bag or pouch, 5, in any convenient manner. At its other end the back plate, 2, is shaped to form a hasp, 6, for engaging a staple, 7, on the mail-bag.

One end of the lock-case is provided with openings 8, through which project the curved ends of a pair of locking-arms, 9, that are pivoted to the back plate, 2,within the lock-case.

The outer ends of these locking-arms are so.

formed as to meet and interlock across the hasp-slot, as shown in Fig. 2, so that when the hasp 6 is passed over the staple 7 thecurved ends of the locking-arms 9 can be engaged through or in the staple, and thereby secure the mouth of the mail-bag. Between the pivoted locking-arms 9 is arranged a spring, 10, which acts to throw the curved ends of said locking-arms outward, as shown in Fig. 3, thereby disengaging them from the staple 7 when a bolt, 11, is withdrawn from between the rear or inner ends of said arms.

(No model.)

The bolt 11 is adapted to slide forward and back between guide-blocks 12, 13, and 14, ar-

ranged in the lock-case, and is drawn from its engagement with the pivoted arms 9 by means of a key, 15, of the ordinary construction employed in mail-locks. The bolt 11 has at its forward or acting end a lug, 16, to enter between the inner or rear ends of the pivoted arms 9, thereby holding the curved ends of said arms firmly together in such close contact that. they cannot be separated or disengaged from the staple 7 without first drawing the bolt.

At the rear end the bolt 11 is bifurcated or provided with a recess, 17, to receive aspiral spring, 18, by which it is forced into engagement with the lockingarms, and at this end it also has a lug, 19, forming a bearing for one end of the spring 18, the other end of which is mounted on a guide-pin, 20, projecting inward from one end of the lock-case.

The center of the bolt 11 is provided with a slot, 21, bridged by wards 22, to engage corresponding clefts between the wards 23 of the key.

The key-barrel is made to fit a key spindle or pivot, 24, that projects from one side of the lock-case across the bolt 11 and enters the keyhole 25, which is formed partly inthe guideblock let and partly in the side of the lock-case adjacent to said guide-block.

One side of the bolt 11 is formed with a notch 28 along the spindle 24 until the lug or detent' 27 engages the notch or recess 26 in the side of the bolt. It will thus be seen that the bolt cannot be withdrawn except by a key adapted to first force the sliding collar 28 and attached lug 27 back between the guideblocks 12 and 13, after which the key can be turned,with its wards 23 engaged between the wards 22 of the bolt, so that the pressure of the key-wards against the rear end of the slot 21 will carry theboltbackward againsttheforceofthespring 18 at its rear end.

As soon as the bolt is withdrawn the tension of the spring between the pivoted lockingarms 9 will force the forward ends of said arms apart and enable the hasp to be disengaged from the staple.

In applying the lock it is only necessary to pass the hasp over the staple and then press the outer or curved ends of the arms together by means of thumb-pieces 30, mounted thereon. It will be seen that as the outer ends of these pivoted arms 9 are thus made to approach each other through the staple their inner ends are separated to receive the bolt 11, which is immediately projected forward by the tension of the springs at its rear end.

The construction of this look is such that it can be manufactured at comparatively small cost,while the simplicity and durability of the parts obviate the ordinary liability of disarrangemcnt and greatly reduce the expense of repairs. It also affords a secure and reliable fastening that can be used with the keys usually employed in mail-bag locks.

If desired, the front plate of the lock-case can be made with a shallow open-front chamber, 31, for receiving a destination-tag.

What I claim as my invention is 1. In a mail-bag lock, the combination,with a lock-case formed with a hasp, of a pair of locking-arms pivoted in said case and having curved ends adapted to pass through a staple engaged in said hasp, a spring located between said pivoted arms to throw their curved ends apart, and a sliding bolt adapted to enter between the rear or inner ends of said arms and thereby hold their opposite curved ends firmly together, substantially as described.

. 2. The combination of a lock-case formed with a hasp, a pair of locking-arms pivoted in said case and adapted to interlock at one end across the hasp slot, a spring located between said arms to throw their interlocking ends apart, a sliding bolt adapted to enter between the inner ends of said arms and thereby hold their interlocked ends together, and a springactuated collar mounted on the key-spindle and having a lug to engage a notch in thesliding bolt, substantially as described.

In testimony whereofI affix'my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES 0. BROWN.

Witnesses: 

